


Travelling into the Darhkness

by snowbarryftw



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon, League of Assassins - Freeform, Origin Story, Yet still canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5206568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowbarryftw/pseuds/snowbarryftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look into the past of Damien Darhk, the rise and fall. From a member of the League of Assassins and possible Ra’s Al Ghul, to the leader of a HIVE of agents and a master of magic, see the man Team Arrow has come to fear evolve and become the greatest foe Oliver has ever had to face. (Mostly AU, but goes off many canon facts and my own theories that connect those facts together)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Travelling into the Darhkness

A remote village- 1834  
“Dad,” the girl whispered into his ear. “Dad, wake up.” A blinding light shone through the opened windows onto the timber bedside table as Damien slowly opened his eyes and smiled into the beautiful face of his nine year old daughter. She had soft features, eyes the colour of the ocean after a storm and lips pink with colour and life. She was a healer, a caretaker as they called it in this village. She smiled a full smile showing her angelic white teeth, putting a gloved hand on his wrist. Today was her first day at work, and coming from a wealthy family meant that she had to look the part. She was going to begin travelling the village, helping those who were sick or ill. Her mother had died when she was only three and it left a scar on both Damien and his daughter. Damien took her in his arms and gave her a hug, kneeling down on one leg to be the same height as her. Giving her a quick kiss on the forehead she smiled as she ran off to grab her woolen bag and made her way out of the wooden house, blonde curls bouncing on the back of her head. Damien remained in the same position with a smile on his face for what seemed like hours, remembering all of the days he had had the pleasure of being in the girl’s company. Slowly he stood, grabbing the equipment for his job in his hands in an almost robotic way, silently moving from step to step, accomplishing them quickly and successfully. He rubbed his short blonde hair carefully into position on top of his head, changing into a dark brown collared shirt. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream from the exterior of the house followed by what seemed like the sound hundreds of people running, like a stampede of animals. Puzzled, Damien stepped outside to see black hooded figures slaughtering every man, woman and child that stood in front of them, swords slicing their flesh. His eyes widened as he began calling out his daughter’s name, louder with every scream, fear clouding his eyes. They couldn’t have hurt her could they? No, he wouldn’t allow it. He had only lost his wife six years ago, he couldn’t lose anyone else, especially not the single most important thing in his life.

After about five minutes, Damien finally found her but not as he hoped he would, her right leg caught in a wire fence. His eyes shot to where she laid and ran over to her, hearing her cries of agony almost making his ears bleed. He grabbed onto her hand, whispering caring thoughts into her ear like a wave of belief. Except, when he looked at her leg, he automatically knew the prognosis wasn’t good. As Damien began to untie the coil of wire around her leg, he noticed a part protruding from her ankle area. She was losing a lot of blood fast, staining the white snow below. He had no medical supplies with him, if there even were any in this remote village besides herbs. Suddenly, Damien felt a sword touch his spine, jabbing him softly, making sure not to travel through his flesh. The man behind him was obviously very gifted with the blade, but Damien struggled to understand why the man hadn’t killed him straight away. He’d rather it, he didn’t want to live anymore anyway, the most important thing in his life was dying right in front of him. As he turned around, he saw a man with dark brown hair, slicked back off of his forehead showing the sorrow in his emerald eyes. The man looked at Damien and almost robotically took his sword and cut the coil in half that was protruding from Damien’s daughter’s ankle so effortlessly it seemed like he had done it a thousand times. The man picked her up and glanced back at Damien.   
“We don’t have much time.” he said in a rough accent “if we are quick there may be still time to save her.” Damien looked to the man with tears in his eyes.   
“Who the hell are you?”  
“My name is Ra’s Al Ghul, I am the leader of the League Of Assassins. I can tell you more once we reach my home in Nanda Parbat, which is only a few miles from here.” Ra’s said looking at him fiercely once more before he began to run with haste, carrying the young girl in his arms. Damien shook his head   
“It’s impossible. She’ll be dead by the time we reach it.” Ra’s nodded solemnly and turned back to look at him.   
“Precisely. Now, we don’t have time to waste.” He replied quickly running off in the distance, the snow that had begun to fall covering the black armour he wore. Damien took off after him, worry, fear and confusion colouring both his expression and mind all at the same time as he tried to keep up.

Once Damien had finally reached the establishment known as Nanda Parbat, it had been over half an hour since he had last seen his daughter. He knew the odds against her survival, but still considered what Ra’s had said. Why was it better that she had been dead? Running in, the guards at the front gave way to him. He noticed that they seemed to be the same attackers on his town that were slaughtering innocent lives. Damien wanted to know why. He needed to know why. As he walked through the maze that was the League of Assassins’ headquarters, the warriors stood idly by, letting him walk as he pleased, until one pushed him along a certain path which led him to a large room with a huge pool in the middle. It was very gothic-eske, candles lighting it and fit the legendary status that the League had taken up, at least as he assumed. Slowly a figure in a long robe with multiple rings on his fingers made his way to the front, a young girl standing beside him, hand in his. Damien’s eyes widened in shock as he saw his daughter completely clean of any scars that the fence had caused her, standing with the man that had quite obviously saved her life, devoid of his battle armour, stationary in watching as he let Damien’s daughter go and rush her father, wrapping him in her tiny arms in his arms. Ra’s nodded as he watched the reunion and the men around the room began to walk out, eventually leaving him, Damien and the girl behind. Damien looked up at Ra’s and couldn’t say anything other than “Thankyou.” Ra’s nodded and Damien let the little girl wander out of the room, knowing the other man had other motives to doing this. It couldn’t be just out of goodwill. He was after all, the head of the league of ASSASSINS. He needed to know those reasons.

Damien bleakly stood and opened his mouth to speak, however Ra’s raised his hand, signalling that he had something to say first.  
“I’m sure you’re wondering how that was even possible. The answer is behind me. This...this is a giver of life. It is called the Lazarus Pit.” Ra’s stated, as if there was without a shred of doubt that what he was saying was completely and wholeheartedly the truth. And truth be told, Damien couldn’t in his right mind doubt this man.   
“It was found by al-Khidr in 500 BC and can be used to bring people back from the dead, or to promote people to have a seemingly longer lifetime.” Damien had heard stories about the pit, and knew quite often people didn’t come back as they once were, but wouldn’t dare utter that fact. He had to believe that those texts were wrong.  
“So why did you save her? Why her of all people?”   
“Because I looked at you and saw myself. Before I became a member of the League of Assassins, I had a wife, and a child. But when my predecessor came to my house he gave me a choice. I could either leave with him and not get the opportunity say goodbye, or watch them be tortured and killed…”  
“And you chose to leave.” Damien said, looking the man in the eyes.  
“Yes. It was the toughest decision of my life. So I decided to give you an easier one.” Ra’s stated.   
“Which is?” Damien asked, wondering what the man could possibly have in store for him.  
“You will become a member of the League of Assassins. My second-in-command. Or..” Ra’s said and at the perfect time the screams of the girl could be audibly heard through the walls. Damien rushed Ra’s quickly with a tackle, however he dodged it quite effortlessly shaking his head at the man.   
“Please Damien. I brought her back, you are in debt to me.” Ra’s observed the man in front of him nursing his shoulder.   
“Fine. But you have to assure me of her safety.” Damien asserted viciously through clenched teeth. Ra’s nodded and extended his hand to help him up. Damien took it and stood in front of him, shoulders relaxed as he knew the life he had chosen was not going to be an easy one.  
\------------------------------------------------------------  
Nanda Parbat- 1844  
Over the ten years since his arrival, Damien had formed an extremely tight bond with Ra’s, one of friendship and one he never thought he could have formed with a murderer. Except, he was one now, too. Ever since his ceremony of introduction into the League, he had become a completely different person. The League had almost washed the soul he had before from his body and replaced it with a calculating, uncaring and focused adversary for any opponent in the battlefield. However, over his time with the League, he became obsessed with becoming Ra’s himself. Not only could he perhaps find his daughter, but he would also become leader of the most powerful organisation in the world. Throughout his time with the league, he had trained with Ra’s, and knew the man’s weaknesses, which he believed, he could exploit in a fight to the death. He had grown a following from other members of the league who weren’t fond of the leadership of Ra’s in secret. He had called the group the Hierarchy of International Vengeance, or for short… H.I.V.E. That was the name he wished to bestow upon the League should he take the throne. So as he walked into the same room where his daughter had been saved, lit by the same candles for ten years. Nothing had changed. Except him. And he believed his destiny had led him to this moment. Ra’s sat in the pit, arms outstretched around the outskirts, eyes closed as he felt the pit’s effects taking effect. Damien imagined having those healing effects brought upon himself and smirked, knowing that time wasn’t far away.   
“Damien. Why are you here?” Ra’s questioned, opening his eyes slowly looking into the other man’s trying to discover why his friend had barged into the room in such haste.  
“Would you say my abilities have improved?” Damien asked Ra’s looking at him and seeing an enemy. Ten years have changed so much. Well, ten years and a drug that takes your soul from you. But Damien had realised over time there was too much darkness inside of him already. It wasn’t Ra’s’ doing. He had only awakened it. 

“Of course. Damien, you have grown to be almost my equal in many ways. Yet you have been willing to accept your role as second in command with honor.” As Ra’s said this, he stepped out of the Lazarus Pit, fully healed after the past day of battles and put his robe back on, walking down to Damien with his sword in his right hand, scraping against the ground as he walked, like chalk on a blackboard. Damien smiled, almost mockingly as he drew his sword.   
“Then allow me to challenge you to a trial by combat.” Damien insisted as he looked Ra’s straight in his eyes. Ra’s shook his head not wanting to be forced to hurt his best friend, but Damien advanced his sword on him, forcing Ra’s to draw his own and fight someone he called brother. Ra’s began wondering between their clashing blades if he had mistakenly brought Damien into the League and trained him. It was very obvious that Damien had grown, as Ra’s had previously stated, however Ra’s could see that Damien was going completely offensive, allowing him to gain situational advantages. Ra’s saw much of his own fighting techniques in Damien, and thus knew that it was going to be a difficult fight, however he quickly cut Damien on the arm, pushing him back. As much as Ra’s didn’t want to do that, and he visibly showed that regret on his lightly bearded face, Damien was certainly coming at him with death in mind. Quickly, Damien countered, attacking Ra’s once more, using his legs and movement to try and get an advantage over his opponent. That was all Ra’s was to him. An enemy that had to be defeated to accomplish his endgame. However, Ra’s was quite obviously a stronger fighter than Damien, and quickly disarmed him, his sword falling to the right of him. Ra’s set his sword at his side, not willing to hurt the man he called his brother. Damien didn’t share his contempt and grabbed his stray sword, slashing Ra’s along the inside of his right leg. He knew that this fight couldn’t be won, and thus ran from the throne room, quickly leaving Ra’s behind him shouting for his warriors to catch Damien. However, Damien’s allies had already been compiling some Lazarus Pit water in case he couldn’t escape Ra’s with his life in tact, however, he now knew that he couldn’t beat the man in a one-on-one sword fight. Members of the League who had heard the ruckus ran to the room to see what the commotion was, but didn’t notice some of their fellow members slip out the back door and join Damien on the outskirts of the palace. Five of them carried a substantially sized tub containing Lazarus Pit water which was large enough to hold one man, specifically Damien. Damien looked around at his followers and noticed around a hundred men had followed him out of the League. He started laughing menacingly, knowing that his ideals for H.I.V.E would be much greater than anything the League could accomplish. “Welcome, gentlemen. Welcome to the new day. Welcome to the H.I.V.E” Damien shouted proudly raising his hand to the sky. Cheers were heard throughout the crowd as they began a long trek to an area of refuge where they could begin to set up their base of operations.  
\------------------------------------------------------------  
H.I.V.E HQ-1985  
“Mr Darhk.” A woman asked Damien as he stared out a window looking down at the city. “The plane to Lian Yu has been prepared and is ready for your ” Quickly he turned around looking directly at her and smirked grabbing his jacket off of the back of his chair. Throughout his hundred year reign at the top of the biggest and strongest criminal organisations, Damien had learnt many things. How much it took to lead his combatants to take out enemies, how hard it was to stay out of the grip of his former friend. But more than anything, Damien had become preoccupied with only one thing. Magic- and the power it could give him. It was unlike anything else. And now his agents had found the totem of the ancients. He had read all about these powers that it may give to him, powers men could only dream of. It would make him the most powerful man in the world, if he wasn’t already. Stepping onto his private plane he looked out the window with contempt, ready to possess the powers he needed. How he had changed since the man who was once only alive to take care of the girl he called his daughter.

Lian Yu-1985  
As Damien walked across the land of Lian Yu, he enjoyed the feelings evoked as he smelt the air and touch the sand on the edge of the island. He knew this place would one day be an extremely special place, however, he wished to search it and cleanse it of all magical artifacts. Or, at least, all the important ones. Quickly he turned around to face the men behind him and nodded to them. He had already explained their mission, and didn’t wish to speak on such legendary grounds. Damien walked into the shrubs of the forest searching for any signs of sites that could have been used by the ancients. He knew they had probably hidden them well, they are the ancients after all. However after about ten minutes of searching his communicator began to buzz against his thigh and he quickly picked it up. “What have you found?” Damien asked into it, imposing himself already on the agent on the other side, letting him know that today was not the day to bore him with theories. “Well, sir, it appears to be the totem you spoke of. The copy of the book…”  
“What is your location?” Damien cut him off.  
“We’re in the cave near the shore.” The H.I.V.E. agent said as Damien took off, walking towards the direction the agent had described. Damien hadn’t run for years. A power walk was much more influential on an enemy in his mind. Running showed fear that something might go wrong. 

Once Damien had reached the cave, he walked in, five H.I.V.E agents surrounding a large item in the middle. Once Damien laid eyes on it, he knew instantly that it was indeed the thing he had been searching for for far too long. The dust-covered totem sat above a small pond of water, and he automatically knew what he had to do. He had to meld part of himself into the pond to allow the powers to enter his body. Damien seized a small blade from the his inside jacket pocket. He looked at the men around him and dug the blade into his own flesh of his hand effortlessly and uncaringly. He had built up such a large pain-threshold from the use of the Lazarus Pit waters and the amount of situations he had been injured in. Damien stuck his hand in the water and automatically felt a surge of power rush through his body like all of his abilities went through the roof. As he pulled his hand out of the water he turned to one of the H.I.V.E agents “Shoot me.” Damien said powerfully  
“But sir…” the agent responded, concerned  
“DO IT NOW” Damien shouted resoundly. The man acknowledged Damien’s tone raised his weapon at him, aimed it at his shoulder and fired. Damien raised his hand and the bullet stopped in front of him. Immediately, all the men took a step back around him and he laughed menacingly. He was the most powerful man in the world now. He could cheat death, and he had a power rushing through his veins that no man on the face of the Earth had even discovered let alone used.   
“Carry the totem back to the plane.” Damien ordered as he paced out of the room and grabbed the communicator off of his belt. “All H.I.V.E agents, mission success, return to the plane immediately.”   
\------------------------------------------------------------  
Present Day- 2015

Damien Darhk ran a hand through what remained of his light blonde hair as he heard of the ATOM’s escape from one of his agents. Damien turns to the man with anger in his eyes. An anger Damien had only found through the tests that had come before him in his life. Some would call him over-confident. Some would call him death. In a way, that’s exactly what he wanted. It meant people feared him and the power that he possessed. He was going to kill this city, maybe not as simply and easily as he had hoped, but this was not just any city. Confused idealists like Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson had already made their failed attempts to bring this city to its knees and they had failed because of one man. The Arrow or the Green Arrow or whatever he called himself. As he stood fixing his suit, he walked over to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man’s eyes widened as Damien smiled in a way only he could. Everytime he does this, it reminds every person in the world who was in charge. His magical abilities had escalated to a level that people could only call superhuman. In complete honesty, Damien didn’t really care about the ATOM escaping, he didn’t really need him anymore anyway. But this man had failed him, and the only way to teach him justice was by killing him. Slowly a bright red entered his eyes, and his skin turned purple. Damien was literally sucking the life out of him. As Damien stepped back, the man fell to the ground in a slumped position and two security guards came in to remove the corpse, dragging it across the ground. “I accept your apology.” Damien says as he sits back on his metal chair pulling out the file of the next part of his plan entitled ‘Killer Frost’ and smirked. Everything was going according to plan, and just like other cities in the past, Star City would die and no ‘Green Arrow’ visionary could stop that. Because he knew his weaknesses, his closest friends. He even knew his allies from as far away as Central City. He’d watched them all for a year. He knew them like the back of his hand. The hurt he could bring upon him would end him, he’d seen it before. It happened to him, all those years ago. 

“Dad, wake up…”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
